


Guardian Angels

by LunaStarTheCat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Again no tags for Ben Parker, Also no tags for Richard and Mary, And he is completely unaware that Peter already has 4, Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Character Turned Into a Ghost, F/M, I Tried, I think?, Kid Peter Parker, Mary Parker is a supportive mom, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Pre-Canon, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Ben Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Richard Parker is trying his best for his stubborn son, She a queen and trying her best, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is trying his best, ghost au, lots of them actually, what the heck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaStarTheCat/pseuds/LunaStarTheCat
Summary: Even before the fateful spider bite that turned him into Spider-Man, Peter Parker has never been a normal kid.He's been haunted by the ghosts of his parents since they died.In fact, he's always been able to see the spirits of the dead. He even has ghost friends. Most ghosts aren't even scary like the movies suggest.The only problem is the catch.Peter can't tell a single living soul....This is basically the product of me wondering what would happen if Peter's dead relatives could talk to him and what they would say to him.
Relationships: Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Mary Parker & Peter Parker & Richard Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Original Character/s, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, They're not super important - Relationship, i promise - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 63





	Guardian Angels

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone curious, I based the ghost off of Danny Phantom. This is not a crossover. This is in the same universe, but the most I'll do is reference Amity Park or ghost related theories from the show. *cough* our headcanons, canon is weak *cough* This is mainly because I'm lazy and see no point in making a whole new universe of ghosts when I can just use this one.
> 
> Also, for anyone who actually in the "phandom," (and start wondering how this is even related) I figured almost all the ghosts in New York would be fairly weak. They're obsessions mainly would surround watching living family members live their lives or a business they started in life become successful and are not all that aggressive. They're also cut off from the ghost zone so they have no sustainable energy except what they get from their obsessions. They're kinda like the Dairy King, dontcha know?
> 
> (Btw, obsession are basically things or ideas that ghost hold onto from their lives that tie them down to the mortal world.)
> 
> So Mary Parker's obsession is supporting her son.
> 
> Richard Parker's is watching his son grow up.
> 
> Ben Parker's is protecting his nephew.
> 
> It's super on the down low though. I just wanted to point it out for anyone curious. Again, you do not need to be a Danny Phantom fan to get it. Honestly, none of you probably would have noticed...
> 
> That is, if anyone reads this...
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter Parker's had to deal with ghost for almost every year of his life. Some experience sad, others not, all very important lessons to learn.

As a member of society, we've all grown up with fairy tales about myths & magic. Disney movies painted scenes and wove tales from the moment you were a kid; the supernatural looks like Fairy Godmother & her magic wand, Rapunzel & her magical locks of hair, Elsa & her flurries of ice magic.

With this perspective in mind, you would think a person with supernatural abilities would immediately notice said abilities from day one, but given the ability isn't obvious, why would they?

The paranormal isn't something you look for in yourself, I'd imagine. Sometimes it's too easy to get lost in someone else's fantasy & you forget to see your own. 

Or maybe it could be something else. Using the example of a little girl, let's say she has enhanced senses. She knows these five simple things... 

  1. She's always been able to hear her father humming in his office two doors from his along with faint heartbeat 
  2. She's always been able to smell what her mother has been cooking from her best friend's house next door.
  3. She's always been able to spot the un-spottable: a sliver of a penny in the mud ten yards away, a needle in a haystack. 
  4. She's always been able to taste & name the specific ingredients put in a meal placed in front of her. 
  5. She's always been able to feel even the smallest of earthquakes.



...but as a human being, there are so many other facts nagging & pulling at you constantly...

  1. The sky is blue.
  2. That lady's hair is a cool shade of red.
  3. Identical twins share the same DNA but even they don't share the same finger-prints.
  4. That cat is really cute.
  5. The new boy in the class is a bit of a bully. It's probably best to steer clear of him. 



...and sometimes even the important facts don't stand out as much as they should when bombarded by the flooding information, judgments & knowledge we receive and make in one singular day. 

All in all, as long as this little girl keeps it to herself, doesn’t dwell, doesn't mention it this stays her normal.

And it, more importantly, stays undiscovered.

Who's to say you don't have or know anybody who has their own undiscovered supernatural abilities right now?

Real-life isn't a fairytale & it isn't going to happen like one. Our protagonist in this story would most likely agree with all the traumatic events centered around him.

Here's where the story starts. We all know Peter Parker wasn't born with his famous spider-powers, but what if those weren't the only unnatural abilities he had under his belt?

And let’s say he didn't realize how special he really was until he was 6-years-old, but around that time, he also realized he couldn't tell a single  _ living _ soul.

* * *

5-year-old Peter Parker never gave much thought to the people on the streets that most people seemed to ignore. Sometimes he smiled & waved at them if they seemed sad just to be nice, but he liked to smile & wave to everyone. His mom, after all, told him even the smallest smile can make someone's day, so he never really questioned it. Why should he? It's not like anyone he saw looked like they shouldn't be there.

It was normal for Peter to see his street like this and when things are normal, you don't usually question it.

When 6-year-old Peter Parker smiled & waved to his parents as they boarded their airplane, he didn't think it would be the last time he ever saw them. And to be fair, it wasn't.

It was just the last time he ever saw them alive.

Peter didn't understand when Aunt May told him that mom & dad weren't coming home. She told him there was a big accident & that Peter was going to live here with her & Uncle Ben. 

Aunt May was crying. Peter asked her why and she told him she missed Peter's mom & dad. What confused Peter the most is that mom and dad were standing right next to her… She didn't  _ need  _ to miss them. Peter opened his mouth to tell her this but instead told her that he loved her.

Aunt May cried harder pulling him into a hug & told Peter she loved him too.

When Peter was tucked in that night with a warm good night & a slightly sad look from Uncle Ben, Peter turned his lamp back on once his uncle had left & looked towards his parents who were still in his room.

"Mom? Dad?" He asked innocently, making their heads shoot up, shocked. "Why are Auntie May & Uncle Ben so sad about you if you're still here?"

Mary & Richard exchanged shocked glances before deciding to address their son. "I'm so sorry sweetie," Mary murmured to her child tentatively reaching her arm out to brush Peter's shoulder. His shirt wrinkled under her touch. Without a second thought, Mary drew Peter in for a hug. Richard smiled at the scene as he ruffled his son’s hair affectionately. After a couple minutes, he reached for Peter's lamp, turning it off. Joining his family, they snuggled closer together, pushing away the tragedy that stuck them. They soon all fell asleep together.

When Ben went to wake Peter that morning, the boy was curled in a ball hugging his blanket. Ben smiled & thought nothing of it, and why should he? Peter was fine & they were going to try & have a perfectly normal day.

Well, as normal as one's day could be after taking in their recently orphaned nephew.

Peter quickly learned that nobody could see parents & he finally figured out what people meant by, "They're not coming home." 

They were dead.

It just didn’t hold the same meaning to him as it did to  _ them.  _

Mary & Richard Parker were dead leaving Peter parentless. Aunt May was always asking if he missed his mom & dad. Peter always wanted to tell her he didn't and that they were still here, but it was like his mouth moved on its own accord. Peter always told her he did & would sometimes start to cry. 

Peter realized then that he could never feel his parent's hugs when Aunt May was around. It was like they weren't there. It was that thought alone that brought the real tears.

* * *

7-year-old Peter Parker now realized he saw ghosts everywhere & it scared him. His parents told him to ignore ghosts he didn't know. Stranger danger and all that jazz.

Peter found himself not smiling & waving to people on the streets anymore.

When Peter attended his first day of school, he met a nice kid named Josh. They became great friends in the way that kindergarteners do. 

It was only when Peter's teacher asked Peter why he was sitting all alone did he realize something was off about his new friend.

Josh was dead & Peter was just chatting with his ghost.

* * *

By the time Peter was 8, he was an expert in distinguishing the dead from the living. 

There were a couple of differences; Peter had written down at some point. The dead weren't see-through, according to popular belief, but they did have a glowy tinge that was easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Another difference, Peter noticed, was their clothes. It was almost fuzzy-looking, like a memory you just couldn't quite remember. 

The dead also couldn't interfere with the living. Moving & changing things didn't seem to be a thing ghosts could do even if the movie’s suggested otherwise. The only exceptions to that rule seemed to happen around Peter. His parents could hug & ruffle his hair or do other tiny things, but only when he was around.

It also had to be only him. If May, Ben, or anyone was around, Mary and Richard were like every other ghost. Occasionally, if no living person was paying attention, little things could be done.

When Aunt May helped Peter clean his room, he realized he had left his list of things he's noticed about ghosts on the desk. Aunt May either didn't notice or didn't care. When he went to snatch it, he found out why she didn't say anything.

Peter's paper was now blank.

* * *

Peter was 9 when he first saw somebody die.

He's always known that ghosts are dead, but seeing it happen made it a little more real.

He had been running from the Hammer drones at the Stark Expo. At first, he didn't pay attention to the few glowy white figures around him & to be fair, there were explosions everywhere and he just wanted to find his Aunt & Uncle(His parents would be an okay option too). There was a whirring noise behind him & when he whipped around, he was faced with a drone preparing to shoot him. 

Before he realized what he was doing, Peter had an arm towards the robot & was staring it down through his Iron Man mask he still had on. With a sudden blast, the drone was in fiery pieces & Peter jumped back, staring wide-eyed at it.

"Nice work, kid."

Iron Man flew off.

Shaking slightly with adrenaline, Peter tore off his mask & ran from the scene. While on his search to find someone he knew, he heard the choked sobs of someone calling for help. Hesitating slightly, he spotted them. It was a lady cradling a man - who looked badly burned & bleeding slightly - doing some kind of attempt at CPR (Even though he was pretty sure she was using it in the wrong situation).

The man didn't seem to respond & continued to lay limp.

Blinking, he looked again & saw there was light pooling around him until Peter was watching a glowing carbon copy of the man the lady was holding staring down at his own dead body. The light started to fade until Peter was looking at someone who looked like any other ghost he'd seen on the street.

The only difference is that Peter had seen this one die.

He couldn't bring himself to tell the lady that there was no point in continuing CPR. Slightly traumatized, Peter furiously wiped the tears from his face & ran off.

* * *

When Peter was a little older than 10, he discovered there was more to his ability than seeing ghosts. He could influence them.

Not all ghosts were friendly. Those tales about hauntings were there for a reason. Peter also figured those ghosts had to have been more powerful than anything he’d ever seen to manifest themselves to normal living people. 

The first time Peter truly witnessed an unfriendly ghost is when he heard faint crying from an alleyway. Turning the corner, he saw a little ghost girl & two ghost men screaming at her for no particular reason.

Peter’s attention was brought to their auras. Instead of being barely visible, the taller of the two was surrounded by glowing red energy that reminded him of fire. The other had cracking electric looking energy bathing him in a faint yellow light.

Their eyes pulsed with the energy color of their choice.

The cornered girl curled deeper into herself, her weaker aura flickered nervously.

Peter ran over to the little girl and picked her up. "What is wrong with you?" He shouted impulsively and ignoring his own fear, "Can't you see she's scared?"

The two spirits growled at Peter not impressed with his interference, which to be fair, Peter wouldn't have been that impressed either. He was still pretty short for a 10-year-old.

One of the men raised a hand either intending to slap him or blast him with energy. Peter wasn't sure what came over him but the words were already out of his mouth, "Don't touch me. Leave us alone." There was a slight otherworldly echo to his voice but he ignored it as he stared the men down (up?). Peter wasn’t going to move.

_ He never even noticed the white ghostly aura that began to surround him. _

The man's hand froze and the red energy flickered from sight. They both stared at Peter before disappearing through the solid wall of the alleyway.

A homeless person, with either really good or really bad timing, walked into the alley and the little girl slid from Peter's grip. With a quick thanks, the girl was gone too.

Peter's mind was reeling over what had just happened but he also didn't like how the homeless person was eyeing him. 

Needless to say, Peter was out of the alley & on his way home again.

* * *

11-year-old Peter Parker didn't learn anything new about his powers.

He did see something in the news about mutates. The news lady said they were freaks & an accident waiting to happen, something less than human. She probably was going to continue with her case but Uncle Ben turned the TV off a little red-faced. When Peter glanced at his parents, he saw Ben wasn't the only one.

"I can't believe the nerve of some people," Peter's uncle growled. "Who do they think they are to judge the worth of someone based on their differences? If they can't accept other people for who they are then they should watch who they're calling 'less than human.'"

His Uncle had been going on like this for a while now. Peter wasn’t sure why they were still watching the lady.

Uncle Ben sighed, "Peter," he said, looking him dead in the eye, a little disappointment was mixed in with the indignant fire sparking in his eyes. His uncle always saw the good in the world; it was something Peter always admired about him. He always tried his best to do the same. "You can be better than them," He smiled, "I know you can."

Peter smiled slightly & nodded. It was only later that night when he pondered those words. Not just Ben's but the lady's on the news.

Peter had special abilities that enabled him to do something that he was pretty sure no one else could do. Did that make him a mutate? Did that make him a... freak?

Leaning against his pillows & drawing his blanket closer around himself as his heartbeat began to rise slightly, he pondered this. Maybe he wasn't normal, but not being normal wasn't a bad thing, was it? Tony Stark isn't normal, no normal person could have built the technical wonder he flies around in. Bruce Banner isn't normal, no normal person has as many Phds as Dr. Banner has. Same thing with Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye & Thor.

They weren't normal by any means but they weren't freaks either.

They were all heroes.

Maybe Peter could be a hero too.

* * *

When Peter was 12, he wondered if it were possible for him to make a friend who wasn't dead.

There were a lot of ghosts that hung around the school & Peter wasn't quite sure why. If he were a ghost, he's pretty sure school wouldn't be up on his list of places to visit. Nevertheless, they were there & when the spirits realized Peter could see them, he was considered the coolest thing since sliced bread.

It was almost ironic. As far as any  _ living  _ person knew, he had no friends & wasn't popular at all. He didn't even bother going to the cafeteria & just went straight to the library during lunch. People would've just left him alone but since he was also the Hermione Granger of every class, some kids got pretty jealous. At least, that's the only reason Peter could come up with for everyone's coldness to him.

Some of the teachers didn't like him either. After correcting one too many tests & that one false cheating investigation, Peter was public enemy number one. Of course, most people never expressed it outright but no one ever did bother to defend him from the bullies that did make a move.

All in all, he had almost no positive social interaction with any living people at school. The librarian was an exception. She was awesome & always recommended the best books for him to read. 

Peter figured if it weren't for his ghost friends, he would have been miserable. They didn't just make school bearable, at times, they made it hilarious. All of them, including Peter, were the reason the majority of the student body thought the school was haunted or at least, figured something fishy was going on. To be fair, they weren't wrong.

Of course, it was a pretty tricky business getting these rumors to start considering how he was forced to hide the nature of his powers from anyone alive but it seemed that rumors were an okay thing. No one had any concrete proof of the place being haunted because of how small pranks had to be. But there were only so many times that someone could lose or misplace an object before getting suspicious. 

There was an older ghost at the school along with the younger ones who came to watch his granddaughter. The man was a scientist & was one of Peter's favorite people. He gave Peter so many reading suggestions, theories & lessons about science. Peter always listened with unwavering attention. 

Despite all this, it still kinda sucked not to have any real friends. Ben & May bugged him about talking to people on many occasions & so did his parents.

Needless to say, Peter was thrilled about the new student that switched schools that seemed to share the same interests as Peter. Ned Leeds was a pretty great friend and there was an added bonus that he was alive.

* * *

13 was a pretty hard year for Peter's new best friend.

Ned's older sister, Lily, had been hit by a drunk driver. She was in a coma & the doctors said she most likely wasn't going to wake up. When Ned brought Peter to the hospital with him, for Peter, the doctor's words were confirmed. 

Lily's body was laying on the bed while Lily herself was sitting in a chair by the window. She looked almost like any other ghost Peter had seen but there was a glowing ball of light where her heart was. If Peter had watched it long enough, he would have seen it growing dimmer with every moment. It was almost like a timer counting down the seconds.

Peter felt really out of place watching Ned's family stand around the girl in the bed, crying. He was wondering why they even let him come.

"They should just pull the plug," Lily said from behind him, "I'm not going to wake up. The doctors said I was brain dead.”

Peter jumped slightly & turned to face her. "Would you be able to if it was one of your family members?" Peter whispered to her.

Lily was startled & stared at Peter wide-eyed in shock. "You can hear me?"

"Yeah," Peter glanced at Ned slightly, who wasn't paying any attention to him before sitting in a chair next to Lily. "Call it a gift. I don't know." 

"Do you think you could pass a message to my family?" She asked, a bit excited. Peter immediately deflated. Yes, he was expecting that question. Almost every ghost he met asked that question. It still hurt to say no & see the look on their face.

"You flinched." The ghost stated while Peter just sighed weakly. "Can you at least comfort Ned? He hasn't a good friend like you in a while."

Peter looked up & smiled at the praise, "That was already the plan."

"Good."

Lily Leeds died a week later. She was only 16. Ned & his parents were a mess. Lily wasn't an exception. She came over to Peter's apartment sometimes a little teary. Peter never really knew her that well but it made sense why she kept coming over. Understandably, it was pretty hard for her to accept she was a ghost & Lily was holding onto the fact that Peter was still alive as a coping mechanism. 

At least, that’s what his parents told him.

Peter invited Ned over to his house to build a Lego Millennial Falcon that he'd been saving up for. He hoped it would be a distraction from everything. Peter tried to ignore the ghost hovering over them while they worked. 

"I miss her," Ned finally murmured. Lily stiffened & Peter paused for a bit.

"I know," He finally agreed. He ended up putting the lego piece down deciding that this conversation was going to need his full attention. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

"How would you know?" Ned said suddenly, glaring at the lego piece in hand.

Peter flinched at that. Even with his ability, the comment still hurt. It didn’t change the fact that his parents had died. Ned glanced up, realizing what he said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I forgot about your parents..."

"It's okay. You're going through a lot." Peter told him, leaning against his bed. He stared hard at his fingers.  _ Focus on Ned. _

"It's just..." Ned hesitated. Peter looked up and saw his friend squeeze his hands into fists & looked conflicted. Anger flashed through his eyes again. "I don't know what to do! Everything is different but nothing has changed! She was my sister and... now she's gone." He went really quiet by the end, looking at the ground & avoiding eye contact with his best friend. Peter was pretty sure he was blinking tears out of his eyes.

"She's not-" Peter started.

"Don't tell me she's alive in my memory." Ned snapped, eyes heated. He was no longer looking at the ground but glaring at Peter. It looked scary on a front but behind his eyes, Peter could see his grief. “I’m tired of hearing that crap.”

"I wasn't. I just..." Peter bit his lip trying to think of something he  _ could _ say, "It's like my parents never really left, I guess. I could feel that they were still there, you know?"

"It feels like she's gone, Peter." Ned sniffed, going still with the confession. "No amount of pretending is going to bring her back. Lily's not here."

_ Pretending.  _ Peter sighed. If only his friend knew.

Glancing over at Lily who was, in fact, still there. The girl in question shifted, flinching at the mention of her name. "I am still here." Both Leeds looked like they were on the brink of tears. Peter felt helpless.

"Can you at least try to tell him I love him? Tell him I'd rather be remembered by my life than how I died." Lily asked tentatively. 

Peter pursed his lips, & sighed. Quickly, he searched his brain trying to think of a way to fulfill Lily's request, "The last time I saw my parents were when they got on their plane when I was 6.”  _ Mostly true,  _ he commented to himself & continued. “I don't remember much about them when they were alive." _ Technically true, if you stressed the alive part. _ Ned was quiet. Peter never really talked about his parents so he could see why he was interested. "I do remember that they loved me. I like to imagine that's the most important thing to remember about them."

_ They still love me,  _ Peter added to himself. He hoped Ned got the same unsaid message of that.

Ned didn't say anything to that, he never did either. When it was time for him to go home, Peter was given a quiet goodbye. He hoped what he said might have helped. Lily didn't come back to his apartment after that and he never did see her again ,so he figured it might have. Ned, understandably, didn't invite Peter over much & considering it was summertime, he got away not seeing Peter. But whenever Peter did see him, Ned seemed to be getting better.

He wished he could have helped more but by now, that seemed to be a common theme.

Peter didn't realize that this was only the beginning.

* * *

Peter's life of constant crisis started when he was 14, more accurately, it started with the spider bite.

(Although, if you asked Peter, he’d tell you his life has always been a constant & ongoing crisis.)

The biology teacher at Midtown scored a field trip to tour Stark Industries. Apparently they’d been branching out with other fields of science & they had a part of the company exploring human biology & other things. Naturally, on the day of the field trip, an over-excited Peter woke that early November morning completely oblivious to how violently his life was going to change. 

Peter didn't consider it his fault he got bit by the weird spider. Sure he was the one that tripped but... Stark Industries should have designed their cages better. They should have made them more... Peter-proof. Yup, that's the story he was going with. 

"Any questions?" The tour guide asked, looking kind of bored. "You? Yes?"

"What's the deal with those spiders over there?" One of Peter's classmates piped up, "They look pretty cool."

The tour guide glanced over at the spiders before shrugging indifferently, "Oh those. They're a failed experiment. I'm not sure what their purpose was but I know not much good came out of them. Some of the scientists here have been messing around with their DNA hoping to get some results. They're going to terminate the experiment by the end of the week."

“The scientists are going to murder them cold blood?! The horror!” A smirking student gasped dramatically. Their friends started giggling to themselves.

Another girl muttered to her own friend, “Good, the less spiders in the world the better, plus those spiders are creepy.”

“All spiders are creepy, Jess. What’s the difference.”

“True.”

The tour guide looked so done. He pinched the bridge of his nose & sighed, “No, the experiment. Anyone else?”

Fantastic. Peter managed to get bitten by a spider with messed up DNA. He hoped there wouldn't be any side effects he thought to himself as he let the voices of his classmates wash over him.

Later that night, the teen found out there  _ were _ side effects.  _ Way to jinx it Parker. Of course there were side effects… Most definitely, very painful side effects. _ Peter laid in an undignified slump on his bed, feeling like death had warmed over. Peter didn't get any sleep that night due to how much pain he was in. Sweat beaded at his skin leaving him soaked but he found himself too exhausted to even move & do something about it. Spams & pricks of pain nibbled at his body & tore into his muscles leaving him incredibly sore. Peter thought that the last part was completely unfair considering his almost religious commitment to not moving.

In the morning when he heard the unholy sound of his alarm go off, Peter just moaned in protest & snuggled deeper into his blanket taco. He heard his dad tell him to get his lazy butt out of bed but stop mid-sentence when he saw the poor condition that was Peter.

Needless to say, Richard & Mary were not amused when somehow, call it good or bad luck, Peter convinced his aunt & uncle that it was just a particularly bad stomach bug -  _ And yes, Aunt May, I’ll be fine - _ leaving them both to go off to work. As the day wore on though, Peter grew to understand his parent's frustrations & regretted his very,  _ very _ stupid decision. 

His already high fever skyrocketed leaving Peter in a not so fun, delirious state. His mom seemed to be panicking but he couldn't tell. Everything seemed fuzzy to Peter. He spent the day staring up at the ceiling, too pained to do anything but too out of it to get help. This did not help his mother’s panic. Ghosts were not able to call an ambulance, even with Peter’s powers.

When May got home, the worst of Peter's fever was gone but it was still there all the same. Unfortunately, now it just looked like a normal fever, which fit with what Peter originally told Ben & May but it also meant that neither of them were worried in the least. She gave him some meds, a glass of water & attempted to get Peter to eat a piece of toast. The very idea of food made Peter want to vomit so he stayed clear of the toasted piece of bread.

That night, Peter's fever was almost non-existent but he almost wished it would come back. Peter's entire body racked with pain ensuring that sweat wasn't the only liquid running down his face. He was certain he was dehydrated but the water-glass on his nightstand was too far away. He remembered glancing at his clock, his tear-stained eyes, wishing for the agony to end.

Peter Parker finally passed out from pure exhaustion by 2:07 am.

He later woke that afternoon to a brighter, louder new world.

.

.

.

To say Peter had an overwhelming week was an understatement.

At first, he'd been in complete denial. Suddenly able to see more than perfectly? Nope, not happening; it just happened to be incredibly bright that day. The doorknob that had twisted under his fingers? Ignoring that, definitely not important. No enhanced strength here. Sticking to things including the ceiling(which he somehow jumped onto...)? 

...well?

He's still trying to find a justified reason for that. Although, Peter finds it's really hard to deny being stuck, literally, to the ceiling when you're still stuck to the ceiling.

"Freaking spider," Peter grumbled to himself, still, mind you, on the ceiling. "Okay! I admit it. I have superpowers. Hurray!" The sarcasm in Peter's unenthusiastic voice was undeniable. "I want DOWN. Down, down, down!" 

He yanked his hands downwards but they held fast to the ceiling, "Please don't break the ceiling, please don't break the ceiling, please don't b-"  _ be Aunt May or Uncle Ben. _ His thoughts changed mid-sentence when he heard someone enter the room.

There was silence.

"I-What-How are you?!-"

"I swear it's not what it looks like!"  _ My gosh, Peter. What an utter idiot! Why was that the first thing out of your mouth? _

"I'm not even sure what this is supposed to look like..." Richard trailed off staring up at Peter who was still, gosh dang it, on the freaking ceiling.

"Um... it's nothing?" Peter tried innocently.

"Peter Benjamin Parker."

"I swear it wasn't my fault!" He cried. His dad raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." Peter mumbled, "So it was a little my fault... Can you help me get off the ceiling? Please?"

"Mary! Your son needs help!"

"NO!”

.

.

.

"Peter, you need to tell your Aunt & Uncle," Mary said to Peter who was now, thankfully, off the ceiling & was now sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall. His mother was pacing back and forth looking stressed while his father stood by the wall near the door. "Their help & support will be better than ours."

Peter shook his head, "I can't. Aunt May will freak out & when May freaks out, I freak out. Uncle Ben is already stressed enough with his extended hours and-" Peter took a breath & squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm not going to... not right now."

His mom sighed. She looked up from the floor & paused her pacing. "You need an actual living person to help you with this. What if you get in trouble? Who's going to help you then?"

"Um... hopefully you?" Peter tried, avoiding eye contact. He knew that wasn't the answer they were looking for.

Richard massaged his temples & looked towards the ceiling as if praying for patience, "So you're telling me that you were planning to tell us from the get-go?"

"Yes?" A look from his parents made him change his answer, "Maybe?" Another look, "Okay, fine, no."

"You have superpowers! That's a very big deal," Mary stressed flipping around, turning towards him. She was pacing again. "You need to tell an adult."

Peter crossed his arms looking very much like a sullen teenager at the moment, "I'm pretty sure I've always had superpowers." He pointed to Mary & Richard, "I shouldn't even be able to see either of you." Peter winced immediately at his words. They never really brought up the fact that between the three of them, only one of them was alive. Peter's mom flinched while his dad just hardened his expression.

"Sweetie," his mother said softly sitting beside him on the bed. She cupped her hand gently under his chin causing him to draw his eyes up to look into hers. "You know that's different. I'm just saying that it's a good idea. Obviously I can't force you but I can try to look out for you the best I can."

She smiled at him. Peter returned the smile & fell into her embrace; his face was buried in her shoulder. "I know," He returned after a moment. They pulled back & Peter starred up into his mom's eyes, "I just don't think I should tell them right now," he added quietly as if he didn't want her to hear the words at all.

His mother sighed but Peter saw the realization in her eyes. Ben & May were amazing but handling Peter’s new powers would be a bit more stress than they needed. Maybe once he had gotten the hang of them, he would tell them. Mary moved her hand & started messing with Peter's hair, "Okay, I trust you-"

"Mary!" Richard cut in, frustrated. Peter felt his mom's hand drop from his hair; the moment was ruined. "He can't just keep this quiet! He needs to tell someone responsible enough to handle-"

"Are we not responsible enough to handle this?" Mary cut in, eyes slightly blazing, "We're still his parents & Peter is right. Have you taken a look at your brother lately? He looks dead on his feet & May isn't much better." Richard's shoulder's slumped with defeat as he acknowledged & assessed Mary's statements. Peter could see that he knew the woman was right but Mary wasn't done yet.

Pointing an accusing finger, "We have an opportunity through Peter's ability to help him & yes, normally, I would be on your side but this isn't something Ben & May have to deal with & frankly aren't ready to deal with." Throughout her speech, she got louder & was standing by the end. Peter could tell by slight jealousy in her expression that this wasn't just the only reason she had come to her decision but he could also tell she wasn't going to admit it either.

"Okay," Richard finally gave in with a sigh. He looked like he was about to say more but Peter found himself unconsciously reaching for a book as footsteps sounded behind the door. He sighed & looked up as the door opened revealing his Aunt May. 

"Hey kiddo," She greeted, leaning against the doorway, "Whatcha doing?"

Peter raised his book as if he wasn't just conversing with the spirits of his dead parents about his newfound superpowers, "Just reading." He heard himself say. Glancing at the clock before turning back to May, he asked, "Is it dinner time now? What are we having?"

Before she answered, Peter, inhaled the smell of burnt pasta & tried not to laugh as his aunt gave him an exasperated look as she explained that they  _ were _ going to have pasta but now she was just going to buy something for the two of them.

"The two of us?" Peter questioned, his face fell realizing what that meant.

May's face mirrored her nephew's when she realized his disappointment, "Yeah, remember? Your uncle should've told you this morning." Peter watched her run a stressed hand down her hair, "Ben is covering Adams for the rest of the week." She glanced at her phone which displayed some messages Peter was pretty sure contained the information she was relaying, "Yeah, it's some kind of family emergency. He won't be home 'till later tonight. For the rest of the week, in fact."

Peter followed her out the door to decide on dinner. When May said 'later tonight,' she really meant it. It was a very long night.

He knew it was going to be a really long week. What Peter didn't know then is that sometime later, he would wish it was longer.

As of that moment, he had no idea how long he had left with this family dynamic. 

.

.

. 

That week was a long & stressful week for all the Parker family. Literally, every single one, dead or alive.

Ben & May were dealing with work which seemed to be overloaded for the both of them. Adding to that, Ben was trying to cover his friend who seemed to leave at the worst time ever.

Peter & his parents were dealing with a bit of a stranger problem: Peter’s new abilities.

“It doesn’t make very much sense!” Peter’s dad, a frustrated scientist exclaimed, “Super strength, enhanced senses,” he ticked off on his fingers, “Some sort of danger sense.”

“6th sense,” Peter chimed in. Flash had thrown a crumpled paper ball at his head that he’d caught without looking. He had come eagerly rushed home after school, plowing through his front door excited to test it. This was the result he’d come up with.

“Yes… and your sticky ability.” Richard winced at the awful name before shaking his head and continuing. “What I don’t understand is how you managed to get these powers  _ from a spider bite. _ ”

Mary looked thoughtful, “Peter did say the DNA had been messed with.” She pointed out.

His father turned to face her, “There must have been a lot of messing with the DNA for this to be the result. In fact…” He trailed off before looking at Peter. “No wonder you got so sick. The bite had to have changed you on that level as well. You’re lucky you didn’t die.”

Peter flinched and looked down at his hands. His father had been trying to understand their situation all week and still had nothing more than what they started with. Peter was  _ now  _ completely aware of how dangerous it was to not tell anyone of his sickness, but how was he supposed to know it was way more dangerous than a fever or the common cold? 

It wasn’t like he was trying to die. Did his dad  _ have  _ to bring it up every single time they talked about his new powers?

It began to wear on his patience. Ben and May being stressed on top of that didn’t really help. He’d been trying his best to keep a hold on his frustration because  _ it’s not going to help anything _ but his Aunt and Uncle had seemed to notice.

He’d been tuning out his parent’s conversation so when the door opened suddenly he didn’t notice. “Hey Petey,” Uncle Ben smiled at him.

Peter yelped, jumping so hard he crashed into the floor with a moan, “Uncle Ben,” he whined at the now laughing man. “Traitors,” he murmured under his breath, then glancing at his cackling parents, “all of you.”

Ben held his hands up innocently seeing the glare his nephew aimed at him, “Okay, sheesh. Sorry, sorry.”

A gleam entered Peter’s eyes as he remembered something he’d forgotten. Pushing himself off the ground slightly dramatically to empathize his pain, “You’re home?” he asked, “I thought you were working late again.” 

A tired smile graced the man’s face but there was a sparkle in his eyes, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the effort you put this week to help your aunt and I with our overtime, kid. I got someone to trade off with me so I could take my hardworking nephew out to get some ice cream.”

Peter gasped slightly, “Really?” He blurted. It had been so long since he and Uncle had been able to do something like that. It had been one of his favorite things to do as a kid.

“Of course,” Ben smiled warmly, “You ready to go?”

.

.

.

There was blood on his hands.  _ Oh my gosh, there was so much blood. It stained his hands, his shirt, his face, his hair, his pants… why, why, why was there so much blood? _

He had stopped hyperventilating by now, but his chest still felt tight. He hugged himself tighter, closing his eyes, blocking out the world  _ that was way too bright, it was way too loud. He could still hear the sound of the-  _

He was shaking. He could feel the jitters from his very bones.  _ And he could feel the tears that stained his face. _

It was hard to think straight. It didn’t feel like he was really there. It didn’t feel this was really happening.

_ But it was. The man was yelling and it was loud. The glint off his gun reflected and it was too bright. The noise after the gun went off and the bullet hit his mark was too quiet. Everything around him was filled with screaming. Someone was calling the police, an ambulance, somebody please help-  _

_ But Peter Parker was frozen as he watched the man who came to love him like his own son lie on the motionless on the ground. The only hint of movement was the teen falling on the floor to stop the bleeding while the red liquid mocked him, spilling onto the concert and staining his tears. _

They always did say in the eye of a hurricane all is quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all liked it! I'm probably going to continue this, but I want to see what you guys think. Like, is this even good?
> 
> I love to hear what you think!
> 
> Also, for anyone who didn't catch it.
> 
> Lily's obsession was making sure her family was at peace after her death. She didn't want to leave behind a broken family. Peter's comments to Ned helped the process. Her family still struggled but she expected that. After she was sure they were going to be okay, it basically completed her obsession and she moved on from this world... That's why Peter never saw her after the apartment scene.


End file.
